Crate



Jul 15 1924.

R. L. YD'AILEY CRATE Filed April 7', 1924 mmlmmm ?atented July 15 1%24.

ROBERT LEE BAILEY, 0F llCCcRAE, ARKANSAS.

CRATE.

Application filed April '7, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT L. DArpnY, residing at McRae, Arkansas, a citizen of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Crates, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to crates for fruits and vegetables and in what I now regard as the best embodiment of my invention it has the important advantages of strength without objectionable weight or cost of manufacture; more and better ventilation than is the case with standard crates known to me; easy display and inspection of the goods; ease and quickness of closure and opening; and adaptability to the quantity of goods to be crated. Briefly described my invention comprises a collection or group of similar sections or units each of a vertical capacity to contain a layer of goods, such for example as berries, in the standard open top box, which units are superimposed one upon another and means to lock or secure the desired number of sections or units in an assembly say of the dimensions of the standard crate. My invention consists in whatever is described by or is included within the terms or scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawingsz' Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a. crate embodying my invention with the sections or units assembled in readiness for shipment;

Fig. 9. is a vertical longitudinal section of an end portion thereof.

I illustrate my invention in the drawings in a crate for strawberries in the standard quart boxes but it is to be understood that per section or unit constituting the top or cover for the unit below and a loose top or cover, 13, being employed for the topmost unit which consists of several, preferably two, strips of wood slightly longer than the length of the section or unit and a cleat, 14, at each end to which the strips are secured with a ventilating slot between them the Serial No. 704,785.

cleats at the opposite ends fitting down over the outer side of the end walls of the top section and being conveniently made use of to tie or look the units and the cover together in an assembled relation by means of a length or piece, 15, of heavy readily bendable Wire which has a hook at its lower end to catch under the bottom of the end wall of the lowermostunit and which is passed between the cleat through a hole provided therein and the outer side of the end wall of the top section and is then bent downward to form a hook, 16. To open the crate it is necessary merely to bend back the hook, 16, to a position which will permit the cover to be lifted therefrom whereupon all or any one of the units may be got out for inspection or display of'the produce or goods it contains. Preferably the bottom edge of each end wall of a section, at the transverse center has a dowel or pin, 17, to engage a hole, 18, in the upper edge of the end wall of the section below and thus the sections are restrained from sidewise or endwise displacement. While I prefer the devices shown and described for securing and locking the units and the cover of the top unit together as being a very simple and efficient and yet easily manipulated arrangement I do not confine myself only to such a securing or locking means.

Preferably the bottoms of the sections or units are formed like the top of strips that are separated by a slot which provides for ventilation as well as contributes to lightness of structure and for a like reason the sides of each section are strips which only partially close the sides, preferably from the top about half way down.

A. very important factor contributing to the strength of my crate is the fact that each layer of boxes or goods has its own support so that the whole crate contents from top to bottom does not rest as one load upon a single bottom as the case with the ordinary crate; and the spacing of the layers which results from this arrangement obviously pro motes the ventilation of the crate contents. It is not necessary with my crate to use the loose filler which is sometimes employed be tween the layers of the crate contents.

It will give some idea of the diminution of weight by my construction to state that compared with the standard crate used in my locality its weight is three fourths of a pound less.

VVhat- I claim is:

1. A crate composed of similar superimposed sections and means to hold them to gether in assembled relation, each of said sections comprising bottom, end and side Walls and a cover for the top-most section, the cover and the sections being secured together by a single securing means, the cover consisting of cleats at the ends and strips extending between and above the cleats and spaced apart, said cleats overlapping the adjacent ends of the top section, and said securing means extending from the bottom section to the cover and to the space between the cover strips and having hooked engagement with the cleats.

2. A crate composed of similar superinr posed sections, a cover for the topmost section having cleats at its ends and bendable wire having hooked engagement with the lowermost section and with the cover at the cleats, an integral portion of the wire constituting the hooks and engagement with and disengagement from the cover being accomplished by bending.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

ROBERT LEE DAILEY. 

